Tilting Axis Fellowship 2027 at the Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis

Applicant location: Caribbean region
Fellowship period: April–May 2027
Duration: Six weeks
Number of Fellows: Two
Stipend: €2,500 per Fellow
Research travel support: Up to €1,000 per Fellow
Netherlands visit: International travel and programme costs covered separately
Application deadline: 15 October 2026
Application language: English

Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis are accepting applications for the sixth edition of the Tilting Axis Fellowship.

The six-week programme supports two Caribbean-based practitioners through research, cultural exchange and professional network-building between the Caribbean and the Netherlands.

One Fellow will be selected from the Dutch Caribbean. Candidates may also apply as a pair from different parts of the Caribbean, provided that one member of the pair is based in the Dutch Caribbean. If individual applicants are selected, the organisers will pair the two Fellows.

Other cultural institutions, including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, will engage with the selected practitioners during the Fellowship.

About the Fellowship

The Tilting Axis Fellowship supports research-led practitioners interested in deepening their work, connecting with cultural institutions and practitioners in the Netherlands, and engaging critically with contemporary social and cultural questions.

The programme is particularly interested in how knowledge is produced, preserved and contested through:

• Archives;
• Storytelling;
• Digital platforms;
• Community practices;
• Cultural memory;
• Social and environmental change;
• Technology;
• Collaboration; and
• Collective forms of knowledge-making.

Applications are welcomed from practitioners working across writing, film, sound, design, research, architecture and other creative or interdisciplinary fields.

The Fellowship is conceived as a period for research, reflection, dialogue, exchange and network-building rather than a conventional production residency.

Fellowship Structure

The six-week Fellowship will take place during April and May 2027.

It includes a ten-day visit to the Netherlands incorporating a five-day tailor-made programme of cultural exchange. Exact dates will be agreed with the selected Fellows.

The two Fellows will travel together and participate in:

• Meetings with artists and cultural practitioners;
• Visits to cultural organisations and research sites;
• Conversations with researchers and institutions;
• Opportunities for intercultural dialogue; and
• Activities supporting exchange between different parts of the Caribbean.

Each Fellow will define an appropriate outcome or milestone for their research project. Applicants should identify this proposed milestone in their application.

Fellows will also participate in weekly check-in meetings throughout the six-week programme.

Fellowship Support

Each Fellow will receive:

• A stipend of €2,500 for the six-week Fellowship;
• Up to €1,000 towards research-related travel;
• Travel to and from the Netherlands;
• A tailor-made programme in the Netherlands;
• Introductions to relevant artists, researchers, cultural practitioners and institutions; and
• Ongoing support through weekly meetings.

The research travel allowance may be used within the Caribbean or internationally when relevant to the Fellow’s proposal. It may support additional research travel, meetings with collaborators, an extended Netherlands stay or time dedicated to developing new work.

Travel to and from the Netherlands and the organised programme will be covered separately by Nieuwe Instituut. Fellows wishing to extend their visit beyond the supported period must cover the additional costs themselves.

Who Can Apply?

The Fellowship is open to Caribbean-based:

• Researchers;
• Designers;
• Writers;
• Curators;
• Cultural producers;
• Architects;
• Filmmakers;
• Sound practitioners; and
• Other creative or interdisciplinary practitioners.

Applicants may engage with archives, cultural memory, social and ecological questions, spatial practices, design, architecture, technology or digital culture.

No formal degree or institutional affiliation is required, and there is no age limit. Applicants will be considered according to their creativity, critical thinking and potential, regardless of educational background.

Applicants must possess a working knowledge of English. Applications must be written or recorded in English, and translation support is not available.

Eligible Locations

Applicants must reside in and be based in one of the following Caribbean countries or territories:

• Anguilla;
• Antigua and Barbuda;
• Aruba;
• The Bahamas;
• Barbados;
• Belize;
• Bermuda;
• Bonaire;
• British Virgin Islands;
• Cayman Islands;
• Cuba;
• Curaçao;
• Dominica;
• Dominican Republic;
• French Guiana;
• Grenada;
• Guadeloupe;
• Guyana;
• Haiti;
• Jamaica;
• Martinique;
• Montserrat;
• Providencia;
• Puerto Rico;
• Saba;
• San Andrés;
• Saint Barthélemy;
• Saint Kitts and Nevis;
• Saint Lucia;
• Saint Martin;
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
• Sint Eustatius;
• Sint Maarten;
• Suriname;
• Trinidad and Tobago;
• Turks and Caicos Islands; or
• US Virgin Islands.

Individual applications are accepted. Applicants may also apply as a pair from different Caribbean regions, provided that one person is based in the Dutch Caribbean.

Application Requirements

Proposals may be submitted in written, audio or video form, or through a combination of formats.

Written proposals must not exceed 1,000 words and should include:

• A statement explaining the research focus, principal questions and methodology;
• An explanation of the project’s relationship to the Fellowship themes;
• A proposed working calendar, including availability to visit the Netherlands during April and May 2027; and
• Documentation of up to five relevant previous projects.

Audio or video proposals should address the same areas and must not exceed five to seven minutes.

Where possible, supporting materials should be compiled into a single PDF, with links to audio or video content embedded or clearly identified.

Selection Process

The selection jury comprises:

• Yesomi Umolu, Artistic Director, Nieuwe Instituut;
• Charl Landvreugd, Head of Research and Curatorial Practice, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam;
• Annalee Davis, Tilting Axis and Fresh Milk;
• Ana Maria Hernandez, RAA!;
• David Gumbs, visual artist and educator; and
• Tirzo Martha, Instituto Buena Bista.

Following the initial assessment, five shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview. Two Fellows will then be selected for the programme beginning in April 2027.

About the Organisers

Nieuwe Instituut is the Netherlands’ national museum and institute for architecture, design and digital culture. Its programmes connect research, exhibitions, archives and public dialogue addressing the designed environment and contemporary cultural questions.

Tilting Axis is a Caribbean-led platform supporting critical exchange, collaboration and professional development across the region’s cultural sector. Its Fellowship programme creates opportunities for Caribbean practitioners to expand their international networks while strengthening connections within the region.

Image: Tilting Axis Fellowship 2027. Graphic design: Moriz Oberberger.